Tagged With max os x

Windows/Mac/Linux (All platforms): The free, multi-platform iTunes assaulter (if not quite killer) Songbird busts out great improvements for a 1.1 version, including a one-click album art grabber, performance improvements, and loads o' little tweaks. The killer new feature is a single menu option, under "Tools," that scans your entire music collection and grabs the relevant album art from Last.fm's web site. That alone makes the oft-improved, awesomely extensible music manager worth a look. But most of the big improvements in this release have been under the hood, so to speak:

Productivity guru and Mac lover Merlin Mann walks through his favourite Mac menu bar applications, highlighting his favourite time-saving apps. We've actually covered most of the apps Merlin's mentioned at one time or another in the past, including:

Predicting the future is near impossible -- but that doesn‘t stop us all from having a red hot go. Human beings have been predicting the future since the beginning of history and the results range from the hilarious to the downright uncanny.

One thing all future predictions have in common: they‘re rooted in our current understanding of how the world works. It‘s difficult to escape that mindset. We have no idea how technology will evolve, so our ideas are connected to the technology of today.

Windows/Mac: Previously featured website snapshot saver Iterasi rolled out two great new features—namely, support for Firefox in OS X, and a new automatic scheduler. The scheduling tool lets you create an exact copy—CSS, JavaScript, and images included—of any site at regular intervals. So if you want to grab a copy of the Woot! deals page in the wee early hours, check a favourite online comic, or use it for work research, Iterasi is now a lot more convenient. The browser add-on is a free download for Windows (IE 7 and Firefox) and Mac OS X (Firefox).

Mac OS X only: Donationware application SketchBox provides multi-functional sticky notes for your Mac desktop. Similar to the default Stickies application that's baked into your Mac, SketchBox has tons more functionality, with typing, drawing, and timers built into every sticky. That means you can create a note, type a few lines or doodle an idea, then set a timer to remind yourself to check back with the note later (perfect for quick to-dos). The app also gives you a robust, iPhoto-style organisation window for your sticky notes. SketchBox is donationware, Mac OS X only.

The Tech-Recipes tips blog points out a handy shortcut that some users of the super-handy Growl Mac OS X notification tool might not know. Rather than closing every individual notification that piles up while you're away from your desktop (assuming you've configured Growl to leave notifications on the desktop), you can simply option-click on any individual "close" (x) icon to wipe them all away. Good for quickly getting back to work after a quick browse of your Growl notices.

Mac OS X only: Beta application Versions provides an easy-to-use graphical interface to the version control system, Subversion. Whether you're a developer or writer, version control with Subversion can mean the difference between days and minutes lost when something goes awry with your text files. We've shown you how to set up a personal Subversion server and how to access it with the Windows-only TortoiseSVN or Mac-only SCPlugin, but Versions takes a wildly different approach to Subversion by taking your repositories into an attractive and fully featured graphical interface. It's unclear whether Versions will charge after the beta, but for now Versions beta is freeware, Mac OS X only.